Road-shock regulating device for steering gears



\ Feb. 27, 1923.

y D. E. Ross.

ROAD SHOCK REGULATING DEVICE FOR STEERING GEARS.

FILED MAY 24,1922- Patented Feb. 27', 19213'.

UNITED STAT-Es, r Arena' );ofrricef DAVID Ross, oF LA FAYETTE; INDIANA,AssIeNon To Rossy 'Guiana Toon'Colii1=Ai-irY,`

or LA FAYETTE', INDIANA, A CoRPonA'rIoN or INDIANA.

ROAD-SHOCK REGULATING DEVICE ro-itfs'rnERING GEAns;

Appncanon ined my 24,

To @ZZ w hom. 'it m ag/ concern.

J Be it known that I, DAVID E.Ross, a. citizenof the United States,residing at La Fayette, in the lcounty of Tippecanoe and State ofIndiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvments in Road-'ShockRegulating,r Devices for Steering' Gears 5f and hereby declare that thelfollowing" a .t'ull, clear, and exact description thereof, l0 referencebeing' had to the accompanying drawings, which forml part of thisspecification. 1

This invention relates tosteering gears for automobiles'and its objectsare to `provide novel means `by which the transmission of road shocks-7to the driver may be greatly lessened if not Wholly prevented; and alsoto provide means byvWhich the. driver may himself regula-te the `extentto which the road shocks are transmitted through the steering' gear tothe hand wheel. i

By road shocks it is 'meant the movei ments of the steering' Wheel dueAto un-y evenne'ss in roads andtransmitted from the vehicle Wheels backthrough t-he steering' mechanism and gear to the steering' wheel.

' In the embodiment 'of the'invention shown this device is` in theform-of a novel'clutch.- ing mechanism by which the steering' shaft ortube may be friction'ally but yieldingfly bound to the outer stationerycasing-or tube, so that casual relative rotationmotion betu'eenthe tivoparts Will vbe prevented as hereinafter explained. y

I Will explain the invention with re't'erence to the accompaningdrawings which illustrate vone practical embodiment thereoif and anunderstanding of the device illustrated in said drawings will enableothers to -10 adapt and use A'the' inventiony and yembody itin otherforms Within vthe scope'v otl the invention. 'lhereforar 're'terr to theclaims for summaries ot' the essentials ot the invention, and novelfeatures-of construction 45 andnovel combinations ot parts for all 'ot'which? protection is desired.;

ln said drawings: i y Fig'. l is al vertical sectionv throug'hfa portionof a steering `gear adjacent the steer- 5() ing' Wheel and showing theat present` pre-4 ferredv Vform of` mechanism for controlling' thetransmission of'road slioclsto the steer-y ing' Wheel.

vis arranged' Withinthe .lar are formed l192s; serial Nol 563,423. y'

I Fig. 2 2 Figi. Y i

Figs. 3,4 and are detaily views." i In thel drawings,` ldesignates thesteering shaft lof a steering'A gear, such as used ont automob1les5desired construction. The steering shaft ary casing 2 2is 'ad transversesectiony onthe'line v I y and -i'vhiohniay beo'ff any '60 usual. outerstationconcentric to "the steering' shaft.

cndofl the manner and vis shown as fastened` by' a set Screivaq f In'the casing.' 2 directly opposite the col- 4 afseriesot equi-spaced slots3 b which -f .are preferably rectangular and slightly f'shorter"` thanthe sleeve rigidly vattached th'ereto'jinr any'suitable'rl` theseslots'ares'upportedanseries of wedge y members or blocks ,Vivhich maybel of any,

suitablemateriah and rare 'preferablytasurfaces," their upper pered on`'their outer ends being sho'ivn'as *,largeifthan' their lower ends,''and the collar 3".' y

Thefblocls 4, `are 'held'.

means of an -afdjusta-ble conical "member 5 thefrinner'faces otdthese n,blocks have a direct*frictionalcontac't With y which looselysi'irrounds'the' slee-ve .casing 2' and' has its inner` surface` taperedcor? respondingly to the outer surfaces ot thefr W y The "conicalmember'exe', s tends above the'fi'ipper 1 end` of` the] wedge' wedge blockblocks et and has an annular enlargement 5 at its upper -end vWhich isinter na-lbf threaded toA engage 'in externally threaded enlargement VG`oiia collar 61 ivhichris` rig- 4idly secured Vto the casing' 2,'abovethe Wedge blocks, inl any suitable 'manner as by a'set scm-W p l ff. The :collar Slis provided With an .annular contracted:portionGc'below its threaded por'- tion"L extending intoft'he `taperedportion of member'l, the'eXtei-ior ldiameter of the l)artsbeingvless'than theinterior 'diaineterfot the upper partof member 5, soasfto permit ff io-o1 lateral and longitudinaladjus'tment'o'f the member5 on the i 5'y to *forcethef Wedge blocks 4 radiallyfin` fard toengager' the exterior' surface'. ot'cf'illV lar @with any desiredfrictiona'lr pressure; The" part cfis preferably provided with slotsGaidaptedto: receive th'eupper endsr .part v6,A to enablejthe "part ylso of the wedge blocks e and prevent these blocks turning or tiltinglaterally out of the slots 3d which are shallow because of the thinnessof the walls of the casing 9..

By turning member 5 on collar 6 member can be moved up or down; and whenit is moved upward the inner conical tapered surface of member 5 willengage the op- ?'osed tapered surfaces of the wedge blocks el and forcethe lat-ter radially inward causing their inner faces to bind with moreor less pressure against the exterior face of the collar 3according tothe adjustment of the member 5.

Suitable means may be provided for causing the wedge blocks to separatefrom the collar l when the member 5 is moved downward to release thewedge blocks. As shown a contracted circular wire spring 7 is engagedwith transverse perforations in the blocks #l (see Figs. .1 and 2) andwill-by its expansive action tend to spread the blocks l outwardly andwithdraw them from the collar when permitted to do so bythe downwardadjustment of member .ln the preferred form of the invention the devicefor binding the steering shaft is placed immediately under the steeringwheel where itl is readily accessible and under completecontrol of thedriver at all times.

T he invention provides a novel means by which the driver canyieldinglybind the steering shaft to the steering casing in such manneras to relieve himself of the annoying jerking motions of the steeringwheel. caused by each road shock. For example, if the steering gear hasa reduction of Vl to 10 of stri ight bevel gears with no interlockinghelices then pounds pressure exerted on the front wheel trunnionshaftswould only exerta pressure of pounds on the steering wheel sha-ft,therefore avery small amountl of binding pressure. on the steering wheelshaft would counteract the high rotative. pressure on the trunnionshaft. In the types of steering gears in which worms are employed verymuch less pressure on the steering wheel sha-ft would suffice to nullifyall the road shocks, and prevent transmission thereof to the drivershands on the steering wheel.

What l claim is:

, l. ln combination a. steering shaft, friction wedge members engagingsaid shaft; a stationary member engaging said wedge members, and me nsfor adjusting the wedge members to regulate their binding of the saidshaft.

Qln combination with a steering shaft, and a relatively lined member; offrictional wedge'members engaged with the steering shaft andcooperatingfrictional means connected lwith the relatively fixed member wherebythek steering shaft may be yieldingly held againstrotation to lessen thetransmission of road shocks to the wheel while per mitting manipulationoi the wheel for steering.

3. In combination a steering shaft, a fric tion member thereon,relatively stationary friction. members adapted` to engage the member onthe shaft, a stationary supportfor said relatively stationary frictionmembers, and means for adjusting the relatively stationaryY clutchmembers to regulate the frictional contact between the opposed frictionmembers.

s. In combination wit-h a steering shaft, a casing, radially disposedclutch members around the shaft, and movable longitudinally thereof; andan adjustable member engaging the clutch members whereby they may becaused to yieldingly bind the sha-ft for the purpose specilied.

5.111 combination with a steering shaft and its casing; radiallydisposed clutch members surrounding the shaft, al rotatable conicalmember Aengaging the clutch members, and a,v fixed member on the casingen gageiil by said conical member, whereby the clutch mcn'ibers may becaused to bind the shaft for the purpose specified.

(i. In combination with a steering shaft, and a casing for said shafthaving a series of slots; wedge blocks mounted in the slots, and anadjustable member adapted to 'anse the blocks to bind the shaft,substantially as described.

7. In combination with a steering shaft, and a casing for said sha-fthaving a series of slots; of wedge blocks mounted in the slots, arotatable member mounted on the casing and surrounding the blocks andadapted to cause the blocks to bind the shaft when adjusted in onedirection, substantially as described.

1S. ln combination steering shaft, a casinghaving an annular series ofslots, a series of wedge blocks mounted in said slots, an exteriorlythreaded collar attached to the casing, a rotatable member engaging saidcollar and having a tapered portion engaging the wedges, whereby thewedges may be caused to bind the steering shaft, substantially asdescribed.

9. In combination. a steering shaft, a casing having an annular seriesof slots, a collar on the steering shaft. opposite the slots, a seriesof wedge blot-lis mounted in said slots adapted to engage the collar, anexteriorly threadei'l collar attached to the ing. and a conical memberengaging the latter collar and having a tapered portion engaging thewedges. whereby the wedges may be caused to friction-ally engage thecollar on the steeringrshaft, substantially as described. v

Intestimony that I claim` the foregoing` as my own, l affix mysignature. i l

DAVID E.

lll)

